Dowsett smashes world one hour record in Manchester

The 26-year-old Commonwealth time trial champion rode a perfectly-controlled race to enjoy a powerful last third of the solo trial and to shatter Rohan Dennis's three-month old mark of 52.491km.

Dowsett, who has lived in the shadow of elite British riders such as Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, made it another red letter day for the booming sport in Britain as he was cheered to glory by an enthusiastic 4,000-strong crowd in the velodrome where he trained in as a youngster.

It was an emotional triumph for the man who has been renowned as one of the very few haemophiliacs competing at the highest level of world sport.